Pragmatic Play, a leading content supplier to the iGaming industry, has unleashed roaming wild re-spins and random guaranteed wins in Release the Bison.

Symbols of the American frontier abound in this 5×4 slot, where hitting four or more rampaging bison triggers the wild re-spin feature, during which all wilds roam the reels to boost win potential. If another wild lands on the re-spin, an additional re-spin is awarded and the total win multiplier increases by 1x. Any scatters that hit are also collected with at least three needed to trigger free spins.

In the base game, any non-winning spin is capable of randomly transforming into a win of 10x to 40x the total bet. And if three, four or five scatters hit, a wheel of fortune randomly awards up to 18 free spins with a 2x to 5x multiplier. Any wild symbol that lands during the bonus game stays on screen until the end of the round, roaming the reels with each free spin. Wilds are also collected in a meter, with additional free spins and increasing multipliers available from the fifth wild collected.

Release the Bison is the latest addition to Pragmatic Play’s multi-award-winning slots portfolio following recent releases Barnyard Megahays Megaways and Lobster Bob’s Sea Food and Win It.

“Pragmatic Play has delivered another thrilling game feature in Release the Bison with roaming wilds able to transform spins into a stampede of wins,” the Chief Operating Officer for Pragmatic Play, Irina Cornides, said.

Pragmatic Play currently produces up to eight new slot titles a month while also delivering live casino and bingo games as part of its multi-product portfolio, available through a single API.

Football (soccer) and tennis accounted for 68% of cases

The International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA) reported 56 alerts of suspicious betting to the relevant authorities in the first quarter (Q1) of 2024.

The Q1 2024 total is an increase of 65% when compared to 34 alerts in Q4 2023 and an increase of 12% when compared to the revised Q1 2023 total of 50 alerts. All of IBIA’s alerts are identified using customer account data from IBIA members, which number over 50 companies and 125 sports betting brands, making IBIA the largest integrity monitor of its type in the world.

The 56 incidents of suspicious betting in Q1 concerned six sports, across 21 countries and five continents. Other key data for Q1 2024 includes:

• Football (soccer) had the highest number of alerts by sport with 24, representing a 50% increase on the 16 reported in Q4 2023 and a 60% increase on the 15 reported in Q1 2022.
• Turkey had the highest number of country alerts with 8 (five in football, two in tennis and one in basketball).
  41% of all alerts in Q1 were identified on sporting events taking place in Asia, with North and South America joint second with 18% each.
• There were only 4 alerts identified on sporting events in Europe, which represents a decrease of 76% compared to 17 alerts in Q4 2023.

Khalid Ali, IBIA CEO, said: “The first quarter saw an increase in reported alerts highlighting the ongoing challenge our members, sports and regulatory authorities face from corrupt activity, with football and Asia dominating our Q1 report. IBIA’s alerts are supported by detailed global customer account data only available to IBIA and its membership, which continues to grow, widening our world leading market coverage. That account data provides evidentiary information that is vital for advancing investigations and imposing sanctions. IBIA is committed to continuing to work closely with stakeholders and to providing this important evidence base.”

The Q1 report includes a focus on the availability of sports betting in Canada and a comparison between the licensing approach in Ontario and the monopoly approach in the rest of the country. IBIA recently released a report on the Availability of Sports Betting Products which highlighted Ontario as a leading regulated gambling jurisdiction, with an expected onshore channelisation for sports betting of 92% in 2024 forecast to rise to 97% in 2028. Whereas the rest of Canada combined is forecast to have an onshore rate of around 11% in 2024 becoming 13% by 2028.

IBIA currently represents over 60% of the private sports betting operators licensed in Ontario, with Glitnor recently announced as the latest operator to join the association in that province. IBIA is a not-for-profit body that has no competing conflicts with the delivery of commercial services to other sectors and is run by operators for operators to protect regulated sports betting markets from match-fixing. IBIA’s global monitoring network is a highly effective anti-corruption tool, detecting and reporting suspicious activity in regulated betting markets.

Through the IBIA global monitoring network it is possible to track transactional activities linked to individual customer accounts. IBIA members have over $300bn per annum in betting turnover (handle), accounting for approximately 50% of the global commercial regulated land-based and online sports betting sector, and in excess of 50% for online alone.

Leon, the internationally-renowned online sports and casino entertainment brand, has agreed a partnership to support a quartet of up-and-coming mixed martial arts (MMA) fighters; Justin Tafa, Junior Tafa, Hakaraia Wilson and Joshua Culibao.

In a thrilling expansion of the operator’s sports collaboration portfolio, the four Australasian athletes will be endorsed through a range of promotional activities and fan engagement opportunities while advertising the Leon brand, all aimed at bringing fans closer to the intense world of MMA.

The six-month long promotional journey will culminate in a major fight night in Australia in August.

Both Tafa brothers and Culibao are already a familiar name on the UFC circuit while Wilson is a pro MMA fighter on an upward trajectory. They will all create regular blog updates on Leon’s platform about their progress and preparation and will interact with fans through personal calls or special online events.

Leon remains steadfast in its commitment to provide a reliable, comfortable and innovative space for casino, sports and eSports enthusiasts, ensuring both entertainment and safety while promoting responsible gaming.

“By aligning with the electrifying world of combat sports, Leon not only supports the athletic dreams of talented young fighters but also strengthens our commitment to bringing exciting and immersive experiences to its audience,” the Brand Communications Director for Leon said. “This partnership is a testament to Leon’s dedication to innovation and community engagement, echoing the roars of victory that resonate through the vibrant world of sports.

“Our objective is to help young talents and to support emerging athletes. We know the tough path that lies ahead and the effort that goes into being a top fighter and through this sponsorship we want to inspire our audience to believe in their dreams and work towards achieving their goals. We wish the four fighters the best of luck over the next six months as they prepare for their bouts.”